 Front cover of Heinemann edition of the novel | |
| Author | Tayeb Salih |
|---|---|
| Original title | موسم الهجرة إلى الشمال Mawsim al-Hiǧra ilā ash-Shamāl. |
| Translator | Denys Johnson-Davies |
| Language | Arabic |
Publication date | 1966 |
| Publication place | Sudan |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 169 pp (Heinemann edition) |
| ISBN | 0-435-90630-5 |
Season of Migration to the North (Arabic: موسم الهجرة إلى الشمال Mawsim al-Hijrah ilâ al-Shamâl) is a classic postcolonial Arabic novel by the Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih, published in 1966 and for which he is best known. It was first published in the Beirut journal Hiwâr. The main concern of the novel is the impact of British colonialism and European modernity on rural African societies in general and Sudanese culture and identity in particular.[1] The novel reflects the conflicts of modern Sudan and depicts the brutal history of European colonialism as shaping the reality of contemporary Sudanese society. Damascus-based Arab Literary Academy named it one of the best novels in Arabic of the 20th century. Mawsim al-Hijrah ilâ al-Shamâl is considered to be an important turning point in the development of postcolonial narratives that focus on the encounter between East and West.[1]
The novel has been translated into over twenty languages.[2] Salih was fluent in both English and Arabic, but chose to pen this novel in Arabic.[3] The English translation by Denys Johnson-Davies was published in 1969 as part of the influential Heinemann African Writers Series. The novel is a counternarrative to Heart of Darkness. It was described by Edward Said as one of the six great novels in Arabic literature.[4] In 2001 it was selected by a panel of Arab writers and critics as the most important Arab novel of the 20th century.[5]
- ^ a b Waïl S. Hassan, Tayeb Salih: Ideology and the Craft of Fiction, Syracuse University Press, 2003.
- ^ Johnson-Davies, Memories In Translation: A Life Between The Lines Of Arabic Literature, p 85
- ^ GradeSaver. "Season of Migration to the North Study Guide". www.gradesaver.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ Mahjoub, Jamal (2009-02-19). "Tayeb Salih". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ "Season of Migration to the North (New York Review Books Classics)". Rifflebooks.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.